Guest Post: With regards to Main closure, the lesser of two evils

H-E-B is requesting South Main Avenue be closed so that it can enclose, and therefore expand, its corporate campus.

By Randy Bear

Almost everyone knows, by now, that H-E-B wants to close Main Avenue from César E. Chávez to Arsenal Street. Several people have come out opposed to the closure and the process the city is undertaking to close it. However, as I look at the proposal, the neighborhood, and alternatives, I support the closure of Main to vehicle traffic. I was opposed to the $1 million incentive for the store, but now it looks like H-E-B will reject the city’s offer.

Let me lay out my reasons for the closure and look at the alternatives presented.

H-E-B is one of San Antonio’s best corporate citizens, right alongside USAA, Rackspace, and several others. They support so many community events, the largest being their Feast of Sharing, providing free holiday meals at Christmas to thousands of families and individuals. No one disputes that fact.

In 1985, H-E-B purchased 10 acres of the U.S. Arsenal grounds to house its corporate headquarters. Preserving the majority of the structures, new structures were built to complement existing ones, creating a beautiful and historic campus downtown.

While that might be enough, H-E-B’s campus borders the San Antonio River across from the King William neighborhood. Their modest development along the river has created one of the most beautiful and peaceful areas of the River Walk. In fact, H-E-B has done a great job preserving the character of the neighborhood since moving into the area.

The section H-E-B would like to close was opened only around the late 1940s, when residents requested it opened to relieve congestion south of the Arsenal area. Looking at an 1886 Bird’s Eye View map of the city, you’ll find the Arsenal area actually had an entirely different network of streets, including entry to the Commander’s House from Flores, instead of the current entrance off Main.

A 1929 map of the city shows Main stopping at the Arsenal property, with the stretch south of the Arsenal a patchwork of small streets. In other words, Main Avenue has very little of the historic value neighboring streets have, contrary to the claims of opponents of closure. In fact, if historic value is crucial, we should close Main in the area of the Arsenal to preserve accuracy.

With regards to some of the other claims made in a guest blog post by Charlotte Luongo, Main Avenue was opened when the city’s population was 400,000. But even though the city has grown to 1.4 million, the bulk of that growth is to the north, far from the small stretch slated for closure. While she states there are three B-Cycle locations along Main, in reality there is only one south of Chavez behind SAHA. The other two are north of Chavez in the same location.

While I support closing Main to vehicular traffic, I suggest leaving a bike/pedestrian path through the H-E-B campus, helping meet some of the concerns of residents, especially if we’re striving for walkable neighborhoods. H-E-B’s concern was for employees crossing Main with vehicle traffic, having two crosswalks on Main between their campus buildings. This seems to be an amenable compromise for both parties.

Another point made was in reference to the Lone Star Community Plan about the underdeveloped nature of the H-E-B property. On paper that’s probably correct, but if you consider H-E-B’s latest position of investing $100 million development in their property, the point seems to be negated.

In fact, unless H-E-B sold the entire campus and moved away, that property should remain underutilized. H-E-B has done an excellent job maintaining the historic nature of the Arsenal grounds it purchased, seen in this Express-News photo gallery. Having H-E-B border that section of the San Antonio River keeps the river and grounds free of commercial development. It maintains the river in a state more closely aligned with the historic character of the area.

Luongo noted the closure of the entrance to the Commander’s House from Main. Looking at the historic maps, it would be better served if that was closed and the original entrance from Flores were reopened. In fact, considering the Lone Star Community Plan’s desire to increase development along Flores, this would better suit that approach than diverting to Main Avenue.

To help provide that access, H-E-B should consider giving to the city a section of land between an old Arsenal drive south of the Commander’s House and the current fence. Opening this street to both the Commander’s House and H-E-B would reopen the original entrance to the grounds.

Allowing H-E-B to close Main actually fits more in line for creating a walkable neighborhood, provided pedestrian and bike access are permitted. With H-E-B expecting to double its workforce on the campus, allowing the area to be reverted back to the original design of the Arsenal is probably the best approach. It will also bring more corporate presence to the downtown, furthering the mayor’s vision of the Decade of Downtown.